A rare moment in recent baseball history passed Thursday at Target Field without anyone noticing. It deserved a standing ovation, at least among the accountants in attendance.
Cliff Lee faced Joe Mauer from 60 feet, 6 inches away, the rare occasion when two big-money baseball players worthy of their paychecks can be found within close proximity.
Of course, they both star for losing teams, so perhaps the moment should have been commemorated by the accountants, and general managers across the country, taking angina medication.
With a few spectacular exceptions, the rule in baseball this year is this:
If you spend a lot of money on a ballplayer, you will be disappointed.
Mauer has taken a beating in the Twin Cities for making $23 million a year and failing to hit home runs like he did in 2009, when he was positioning himself for his $184 million contract. By comparison with other players making $20 million or more this season, he's a bargain: an All-Star catcher ranking among baseball's leaders in batting average and on-base percentage.
Lee, who is making about $25 million, is 8-2 with a 2.55 ERA, but hasn't made the Phillies competitive, largely because the Phillies are paying Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels and Michael Young about $94 million to do not much of anything.
Not long ago the Phillies were being lauded for "going for it," and spending money to bolster their roster and please their fans. Now they'd own the most embarrassing roster in baseball if it weren't for the Yankees … and Dodgers … and Blue Jays … and Angels, all teams who spent wildly on players who are now injured or failing.
